Agent Storm

By: Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, Tim Lister

Narrated by: Neil Shah

Morten Storm was an unlikely Jihadi. A six-foot-one red-haired Dane, Storm spent his teens in and out of trouble. A book about the Prophet Mohammed prompted his conversion to Islam, and Storm sought purpose in a community of believers. He attended a militant madrasah in Yemen, named his son Osama, and became close friends with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born terrorist cleric. But after a decade of Jihadi life, he not only repudiated extremism but, in a quest for atonement, became a double agent for the CIA and British and Danish intelligence.

Agent Storm takes listeners inside the jihadist world like never before, showing the daily life of zealous men set on mass murder, from dodging drones with al-Qaeda leaders in the Arabian desert to training in extremist gyms in Britain and performing supply drops in Kenya. The book also provides a tantalizing look at his dangerous life undercover, as Storm traveled the world for missions targeting its most dangerous terrorists, and into the world’s most powerful spy agencies: their tradecraft, rivalries, and late-night carousing, as well as their ruthless use of a beautiful blonde in an ambitious honey trap. Agent Storm is a captivating, utterly unique, real-life espionage tale.

©2014 Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, Tim Lister. Recorded by arrangement with Grove/Atlantic, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

SEEN STORM ON A CNN SPECIAL

Where does Agent Storm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of Agent Storm?

His association with the many Evil Men on the front line of the News

Have you listened to any of Neil Shah’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

not as of yet

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

In multiple settings

Any additional comments?

Fascinating life.

Ruined, possibly, by the coauthors.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I think it would be enjoyable to many people. I generally enjoyed the story itself, but that was in spite of the writing. I generally accept the factual outline of the story. It is entirely plausible (although his loss of faith episode wasn't very convincing to me). However, it seems clear that Morten has included a healthy dose of ego, or his coauthors did so on his behalf. I hope the latter, but in either case, it made the story fairly unenjoyable.

At every turn there is a sardonic comment or editorializing about everyone else's motivations (even if spurious or unknowable to him or us). Nobody gets to hear the other side of the story; however, Morten, or his coauthors, always seems to think Morten is the most clever of all, even though it is clear from the start that he is impetuous by nature (he's been in more insular clubs than a West End aristocrat in the late 19th century and they all ended with him being forced to leave because of his personality and personal decisions that basically forced him out of them) and apparently impervious to the fact that most of his troubles throughout his entire life stem from that personality flaw. But his tendency to just keep hammering away at the stupidity of others while ignoring his own huge role, combined with pithy asides about others, was nauseating at times.

I'd be Reading and enjoying the story and just feel it coming: Morten and his coauthors are going to say something haughty about how everyone is doing everything wrong (and arrogantly attributing motivations to why they did it, even though he can't possibly confirm that) but Morten, our dear anti-hero, cannot do anything wrong. But then he wants you to feel for him. He's such a good guy because he doesn't hook up with escorts (he only asks to do coke with them), all while acting as a pimp to send a woman to an extremist to be the latter's wife, even though he himself believes it will imply her death. And he wants us to feel for him, since apparently the coke wasn't enough to make him feel better.

The story is absolutely interesting, but I can't believe nobody else has commented on how supercilious he comes across (assuming he could have been an Olympic boxer had he not become an asset-something that was his choice, assuming all the intelligence agencies through away a valuable asset (him, obviously) and could have done so much more with him had they not dropped him-something he can't fathom they might do simply because he's an unpredictable person, as shown by the book, and might have compromised other assets), while also begging for our sympathy.

Again, I would recommend the book since, apparently, this isn't something other people felt distracted from the book (based on the reviews I've seen). For me it was a slog, despite the great story.

Was Agent Storm worth the listening time?

I'd have rather read a longform article than the book so, in my personal opinion, no.

Good listen... maybe not so good of a guy.

I listened intently from beginning to end but found myself struggling to find the good in this guy. His story still leaves me with a sick feeling to my stomach.... To go from applauding and damn near aiding viscous, appalling acts of violence then turning himself to being a self serving savior of the west is hard for me to swallow. This guy is no hero. Fear and money are the only reasons this guy came back around. If he would have spent as much time in this book regretting what he did... for loving the videos of be-headings,for supporting and encouraging violence as he spent criticizing and berating agents..... maybe then I would feel differently. Read it and decide for yourself... just wish no more money where going his way.

Great listen even if you're not into spy stuff

This was very fun to listen to while also being educational. I learned a lot I didn't know about how the these different terrorism organizations worked and the intelligence service work done to fight against them. I tried to listen and take the info with a grain of salt, although most of it is likely true, these sort of stories can easily include embellishments with no real way of knowing. One nagging thing for me was how quickly Storm went from believer to spy. I wasn't sold that simply a crisis of identity alone would cause that sort of change, but who knows...

Amazing Story

Hard to imagine this kind of courage.
A great read, especially if you have been keeping up with world events.

Riveting!

A fascinating look into the mindset of a jihadi & the challenges of counter-terrorism. A great listen!

Riveting memoir!

Riveting is not a adjective normally used with memoir, but in the case of Morten Storm it fits. The story begins before Storm's conversion to Islam and jihadism and follows as he becomes a double agent for western intelligence agencies.

This is a must read true story.

interesting and kept my attention

i really enjoyed this book. it is believable, and im surprised, they let him live to be honest.

Interesting

If you ever wondered why anyone would sign up to be a terrorist, this book is for you. It was better than I hoped for.

TERRORISM

On the one hand, “Agent Storm” outlines terrorism; its origin, its practitioners, and where it comes from. On the other, “Agent Storm” sounds like a comic book. With co-authorship of two CNN newsmen, Morten Storm’s story offers insight, but its credibility is challenging. Though Morten Storm may have become a better person, he sounds more like a lost boy-man. How many Jihadists, Catholic crusaders, or Protestant reformers will come to the realization that their way is not the only way?